S.J. jobless rate falls to 3-year low

Saturday

Sep 22, 2012 at 12:01 AM

San Joaquin County's unemployment rate dropped sharply in August, hitting a new three-year low, as public and private school teachers returned their classrooms and fall harvest activities got under way on area farms and in food processing plants, state employment officials reported Friday.

Reed Fujii

San Joaquin County's unemployment rate dropped sharply in August, hitting a new three-year low, as public and private school teachers returned their classrooms and fall harvest activities got under way on area farms and in food processing plants, state employment officials reported Friday.

The jobless rate declined to 14.3 percent last month, down from a revised 15.1 percent in July 2012, much improved from the estimated 16.4 percent rate for August 2011. It was the lowest San Joaquin unemployment rate since May 2009, when it also stood at 14.3 percent.

Those are pretty strong numbers, said Nati Martinez, a labor market analyst for the state Employment Development Department.

"The unemployment rate is going in the right direction, and we have very strong year-over figures to report," she said.

Much of the job gains were due to seasonal changes in farm and school employment, typical for the month.

Compared to last year, however, San Joaquin County continued to lead much of the state in job growth, noted Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific.

County nonfarm jobs rose 9,100, or 5 percent, in August compared to August 2011. That was only exceeded by the much smaller Kings County, where a year-to-year gain of 1,900 jobs amounted to 5.2 percent.

San Joaquin County registered job gains in nearly all sectors.

"A lot of growth in transportation, food manufacturing, retailing, health care - so just about everywhere you look," Michael said. "Even construction is starting to lift back up slowly."

Still, he noted, most of the actual increase in hiring occurred in late 2011 and in the first few months this year. Those gains have held and continue to boost the year-over-year comparisons.

"I do expect this, the year-over-year gains, to decrease as we move into the fall," Michael said.

Based on a survey of area payrolls, farmers added 1,500 workers in August as the fall harvests of winegrapes, almonds and other major cash crops began, the EDD reported. The end of the summer break saw public schools bring in 800 workers, and private schools added 600 employees. There was also a gain of 800 jobs in the food processing sector, probably related to fall harvests.

A less seasonal gain of 600 jobs was registered in the trade, transportation and utilities sector.

The county's August unemployment rate, which is not adjusted for seasonal variation, compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 10.4 percent for California and 8.2 percent for the nation overall.

Looking at the more widely reported adjusted jobless rates, California officials said statewide unemployment dropped to 10.6 percent in August.